Campaign Finance Complaint Process

Filing a Complaint

Any person may file a complaint with the appropriate filing officer if they believe a violation of

Arizona campaign finance laws have occurred according to A.R.S. § 16-938 including but not limited to:

• Failure to register as a political committee when required;
• Unlawful commingling of money;
• Violation of campaign contribution limits;
• Making or accepting unlawful contributions;
• Failure to include proper advertising disclaimers;
• Failure to file campaign finance reports (if the filing officer has not already initiated an enforcement action);
• Improper or unreported expenditures; or
• Filing incomplete or inaccurate campaign finance reports.

Requirements

A complaint must be made in writing and submitted to the applicable filing officer for campaign finance reporting; email submissions are acceptable. A.R.S § 16-938(B). To submit a campaign finance complaint against a political committee registered with the Arizona Secretary of State, email [email protected].

Click here to view county contact information and here to view city and town contact information.

Regardless of whether a complainant is represented by counsel, a complaint must contain the full name and mailing address of the complainant. A complaint should also:

• Clearly recite the facts that describe the violation of Arizona campaign finance law under the filing officer's jurisdiction as specific as possible (citations to the law(s) are highly encouraged);

• Clearly identify each person, committee, organization, or group that is alleged to have committed a violation;
• Include any supporting documentation (such as sworn affidavits from persons with firsthand knowledge, media reports, advertisements, website links, etc.) supporting the alleged violation, if available; and
• Differentiate between statements based on a complainant's personal knowledge and those based on information and belief. Statements not based on personal knowledge should identify the source of the information.